Dr. Anil Kumar Jain, Chairperson of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB), engaged in a crucial meeting with Shri Banwarilal Purohit, Administrator of UT of Chandigarh and Governor of Punjab. The focus was on updating the Governor on the progress of oil and gas infrastructure in Chandigarh and PNGRB’s initiatives aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of increasing natural gas’s share to 15% in India’s energy mix.
Dr. Jain briefed the Governor on advancements in promoting natural gas in Punjab, underlining the environmental advantages and convenience of piped natural gas in cooking and compressed natural gas in transport. Discussions also included key issues like substituting polluting fuels with natural gas in industrial and commercial units, rationalizing land restoration charges, and addressing VAT on CNG.
Highlighting the commitment to achieving “HarGhar PNG” by March 2025 with UT Administration’s support, Dr. Jain emphasized Chandigarh’s identity as a clean and green city. Governor Banwarilal Purohit acknowledged the efforts and pledged full assistance for developing natural gas infrastructure in Chandigarh.
In a parallel meeting, Dr. Jain met Shri Nitin Kumar Yadav, IAS, Home Secretary, Adviser to Administrator, and Commissioner, MC, Chandigarh. Discussions revolved around promoting natural gas across domestic, transport, industrial, and commercial sectors. The Home Secretary assured unwavering support from the UT Administration, marking a significant stride toward integrating natural gas into Chandigarh’s energy landscape.
As of November 30, 2023, PNGRB has authorized 300 Geographical Areas, covering 98% of the population and 88% of the area for CGD Network development. PNGRB’s ambitious targets include providing 12.5 Crore domestic PNG connections, establishing 17,751 CNG stations, and laying 5,42,224 inch-km pipelines by 2032. Presently, the country boasts 1.2 crore domestic PNG connections and 6,159 CNG stations.
